I recently wrote about Tango’s and my journey to shed a few pounds. We both need to lose it for health reasons. And speaking just for myself, there’s some vanity in my quest to lose a bit of me. I am 10 pounds over my “never go over” weight. Seems this aging thing isn’t all it’s […]
When the Dog Trainer Goes to Dog Training Class
I raise and train puppies for a service dog organization. I’m also a dog trainer. Yesterday, I got the pleasure of being a student in a dog training class and it was delightful! I don’t live close enough to the service dog organization to go to class every week (it’s a 3-hour one way drive), […]
Dog Training: WHY Train Your Dog?
I am a dog trainer. I help people raise their puppy into a well-mannered adult dog. I also help people teach their not-so-well-mannered adult dog some manners. To me, training a dog isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Because January is Train Your Dog Month, I wanted to take a step back from all the how-to […]
Great Lengths
Pay no attention to the ominous angle of that ladder. In the snow. Against a prickly evergreen. Where Tango’s ball is lodged. At the very tip top, of course, the tippiest of tops. I know you’re wondering, so here it is… Today, finally, the sun shone. Brightly, oh so brightly. And finally the wind stopped […]
7 Easy Steps to Teach Your Dog “Leave It”
Seven Easy Steps to Teach “Leave It” December 2012 Here’s the situation: you’re struggling to open a child-resistant cap from a big bottle of Tylenol. Before you know it, the lid pops off and the bottle shoots through the air, spilling Tylenol all over the floor. Your dog comes running, eager to gobble up the […]
Dogs in Public: Lessons Learned by Doing
If you want your dog to behave in public, you have to teach him in public. Teaching your dog at home or at obedience class is a good start, but if you expect that teaching to carry over to “real life,” you’re going to have to work in that situation. Because public work is a […]
Are Your Expectations For Your Dog Reasonable?
Are Your Expectations For Your Dog Reasonable? November 2012 There’s a middle ground for everything. When it comes to their dogs, though, owners usually expect too much or too little from their dogs. From those that expect too much, it goes something like this: He knows how to sit! He’s just too stubborn to do it […]
Bittersweet: Siena’s Got a Home
Sweet Siena, the loveliest spotted Great Dane, has a wonderful new home. Anytime one of “my” dogs (not really mine, by the way — all these dogs are really Service Dogs of Virginia‘s dogs, I just raise them) goes to a new home, whether they’re placed as service dogs or are career changed like Siena, […]
Dog Training – The Personal Side: Can You Tell Your Dogs Apart in the Dark?
It was 3:00a when I heard the bark. I knew who it was, instantly, even though the bark came from the other side of the house. And I even knew what the bark was for. [Lily. She wanted to patrol the yard for vermin. We’ve had vermin lately. Or so she says.] Then, I heard […]
Siena: Officially Released + Looking for A Home
It’s official. Sweet Siena is going to be a pet! This is good news, really. As service work just wasn’t a good fit for her. She’s a homebody. She doesn’t like a lot of change. I’m helping spread the word because I think the more people who know about her, the better our chances of […]